So I have changed my location and have set my date. May 9th 2011 at the Dreams Riviera Cancun resort with 50+ guests...the Azul Beach hotel that we had originally wanted would not accept groups over 20 people due to renovations so my second choice was DRC. I am pretty excited and have been slowly starting the process of planning...found my bridesmaid dresses to order online and bought a few decor items for the reception...I know time will go by quickly so I'm hoping to stay organized and on top of it all...pretty exciting stuff though...hard not to think about it all the time LOL...

I'm a newbie now. Congrats on your upcoming wedding! Your posts provide a lot of great info. I'm just starting research for my destination wedding in Cancun sometime in 2012. It's overwhelming! I have a few questions if you don't mind:

Wedding Planner:

You mention that you worked with destinationweddings.com, what do they charge? What do they actually do for you? What is the benefit of working with them? Do they also assist with guest travel plans and regotiating room rates, or did you work with a travel agent, or directly with the hotel?

Venue Selection & Travel Costs:

How did you narrow down the hotel/venue? I'm really concerned about what my guests will have to pay for rooms. I'm having trouble choosing a place because I don't want to put my guests out. Did you choose the resort and then negotiate guest room rates or vice versa? Dreams looks amazing! I'm finding a few locations online that interest me (Dreams, Azul, Palace Resorts, etc.) but the rooms are all listed online around $350/$400 and up. Were you able to secure a group rate? What are your guest room rates? I will only have 15 - 18 guests - so not a ton of rooms for the room block.

I know I should be more concerned about the ceremony then the guest rooms, but I feel so bad asking immediate family and closest friends to spend thousands to attend our wedding. I'm even thinking of trying to pay for our parents and siblings rooms - yikes!

Welcome! I am getting married in Las Caletas in Puerto Vallarta. The most challenging part of the planning was picking location and hotel. Now I am dealing with last minute travel arrangements, but everything else has been easy. The big items are stressful but hopefully you will enjoy your planning. It only happens once right?